The Bond of Brothers
by Usami
Summary: Marron is under a spell, and Carrot feels as though he is to blame. Will their brotherly bond pull them through it all?


**The Bond Of Brothers**

A gust of wind past by him quickly, giving rise to his long, ebony hair, as something rushed past him. He was able to make out the form of his older brother, just as two more figures past by him.

"CARROT!"

"DARLING!"

Marron sighed. There they go again. The earlier shrieks, of course, indicated that Carrot was hunting down more pretty girls, and had, of course, been caught by Tira and Chocolate. It would get tiring after a while, but what could he do? That was his brother, and those were his friends.

One of the aforementioned, however, seemed to be absent of the picture. Shifting the grocery bag in his arms, he wondered where the other one was. Gateau was usually sticking pretty close to him.

His question was answered as he felt a presence behind him, and he turned to see the blond warrior. "Hey Marron," the muscle-bound man said. "Do you need help with that?"

"I've got it. Thanks, anyway, Gateau."

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine." He turned to walk away, even though he felt the larger man follow him. 'Anything to get my attention,' he thought, shaking his head slightly. Gateau was a great friend to Marron, but he just couldn't get the hint that he didn't like him THAT way.

Marron just wasn't interested in love like that as every one of his friends seemed to be, as well as his brother. The love he shared with his friends and family was all that he needed to be content, though he never showed that side of himself either.

He guessed that it was easier to hide his feelings from others than to try and find the right words to explain what exactly he felt.

He didn't mind the constant teasing from his older brother and the girls. He didn't mind the constant flirting from Gateau. It didn't matter to him what they thought, just as long as he knew what he wanted. And he really didn't want anything more than for his brother and friends to be safe and happy.

Unfortunately, it was hard to be safe when they had to take care of sorcerers on a constant basis.

Suddenly, he heard a voice from above, and looked up to see Dotta. She hovered down to meet him eye to eye.

"Hi, Marron," she said. "Where are the others?"

"Here and there," he replied. "Another mission?"

She nodded. "Could you gather the others and bring them back to the church?"

"Of course." Dotta took the bag he held and flew away, as he took off, following the screams of his brother to find them. Gateau, since he stopped following Marron, must now have been teasing Carrot. At least they would be easy to find.

* * *

"There are two targets this time," Big Momma said, looking at the hunters in front of her.

"Oh, that just makes it TWICE the fun," Carrot said sarcastically. Tira elbowed him in the ribs.

Holding out her hand, a projection appeared of two women, one blond and one brunette, the inverted triangle markings matching their ruby eyes. "Lady Salt and Pepper. They're sisters."

Chocolate hit her 'Darling' upside the head as he began to drool staring at the young sorceresses.

"Unfortunately, both live on either side of the continent."

"I'm assuming that means that we'll be splitting up?" Gateau asked.

"Regrettably, yes," she answered. "Both sorceresses enjoy toying with parsoners' minds, showing them horrific visions, driving away their sanity, before turning them into one of their mindless servants."

"Meaning they use magic of the mind?" Tira asked. Big Momma nodded.

Carrot rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If they use magic of the mind, I can't use my trump card." He thought for a minute, then suddenly turned around, waving his hand.

"Brother?" Marron asked.

"If I can't use my trump card, then I'm not going" he replied.

Pulling out a mallet, Tira hit him hard over the head, dragging him back to the others. Everyone felt their eye twitch slightly.

Big Momma was the first one to regain her demeanor. "If I could, I'd send you all to defeat one, and then the other. But both must be taken care of immediately.

"Carrot, Marron, Tira will go north to take care of Lady Salt, while Chocolate and Gateau will go south to deal with Lady Pepper."

"I really see no point in me going," Carrot tried one more time.

"Though she does use magic that affects the mind, Lady Salt also uses a type of magic that paralyzes people, which you will be able to absorb, Carrot. Lady Pepper doesn't. That's why I'm sending you with Marron and Tira to face her."

"But we don't know the chances of Lady Salt using which type of magic," Marron pointed out.

Big Momma nodded. "Hopefully, we'll get lucky, and she'll use some magic that Carrot can absorb."

"IF we're lucky."

* * *

"Where are all the babes!" Carrot complained as they walked around the seemingly deserted town. He barely jumped out of the way as Tira attempted to hit him again with the mallet.

Marron watched them for a moment, then went back to studying the town. It was rather eerie to see a town like this so devoid of life. A slight chill swept down his spine. It wasn't normal. Then again, nothing was normal when dealing with a power-hungry sorcerer . . . . . or sorceress.

He paused suddenly, sensing that Tira and Carrot weren't following him. "What's wrong?" he asked, turning to look at them.

Carrot was sitting on the ground, poking his finger in the dirt. "I'm hungry," he whined.

Marron and Tira sighed, shaking their heads. "Carrot," Tira said, "you really are pathetic."

"I can't help it if I'm hungry. I need food."

"Can't you wait just a little bit?" Marron asked a bit anxiously. They needed to find if there were any people left in this town.

Carrot just whined a bit in response, causing Marron and Tira to sigh again. "All right," the younger Glace brother said. "We'll find food to eat."

"Great!" the elder replied. He lay on the ground. "Call me when it's ready."

Tira bent down, grabbing Carrot's ear, pulling him to his feet. "Don't think Marron and I will bring food to you like we're your servants. You're gonna help us."

Marron rolled his eyes as Tira dragged Carrot along, chastising him about his behavior as he whimpered in pain. He started to walk after them, but stopped when he noticed a young woman in an alley, watching them with interest. With a smirk on her face, she created a small sphere of light, gently hurling it towards the two.

His eyes widened, but his reflexes reacted quickly as he pulled out an ofuda ward. He threw it towards the magic orb, where they both connected.

The pressure from the collision blew through the small town. Carrot and Tira held their ground as the force tried to blow them away. When it finally died down, the mysterious woman emerged from her hiding place in the alley.

"An eastern magic user?" the woman asked idly, pushing strands of her blond hair out of her ruby eyes, revealing the inverted triangle. "Now there's a surprise. Who would have thought a couple of parsoners would have an eastern magic practitioner among them?"

Carrot ran up to the sorceress, taking her hand in his. "Hello," he said, his voice deep and courteous. "My name is Carrot Glace. What's yours?"

She smiled at him, but removed her hand from his. "Mine is Salt Shaker, but you can call me Lady Salt."

Marron and Tira exchanged glances, but Carrot just continued to flirt with the sorceress.

Walking up to his older brother, the mage placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, gently moving him aside. "Lady Salt," Marron said, bowing slightly. If he could, he wanted to avoid any physical fighting, only doing so if necessary. "Might I inquire where the people of this town are?"

"Here and there," she replied. "And who are you three?"

"Merely travelers," Tira replied. "We were just passing through this town and hoping to find a place to stay for the night."

"Haven't you heard about this town?" Lady Salt said, creating another magic sphere. "This isn't one of the better towns to stay in."

Marron pulled out another charm, just in time to protect himself and the others from it. The force of the blast raised much dust, blocking the view of the three sorcerer hunters. When it finally settled, Lady Salt was gone.

"Where'd she go?" Carrot asked.

Marron and Tira's eyes darted back and forth. Suddenly, Marron's head snapped towards one direction, as he pulled out another ward, a bluish dome protecting the three hunters.

Lady Salt reappeared in front of them. "My, my," she said. "Who knew sorcerer hunters would be so much fun to play with?"

"You know?" Tira wondered.

"I've done my homework. The sorcerer hunters, sent to punish me. On the other side of Spoolner, my sister, Pepper, is having the same problems with your friends."

Carrot stepped up suddenly. "You use a type of magic that can paralyze people, don't you? I'd like to see you try it."

The young sorceress smirked. "Ah, yes. You'd want me to use it, wouldn't you? Well, I know well enough about your powers of Aranju and Zoanthropy. So, I have prepared for it." With that, she created another magic sphere, hurling towards Carrot.

"Ha!" Carrot cried arrogantly. "You say you've prepared for it, but you've just given me what I need!"

Suddenly, an ofuda ward zipped by Carrot, colliding with the orb, creating an explosion. Carrot and Tira protected themselves from the aftershock of the blast, and when it settled, Carrot turned to look at his little brother. "Marron?" he asked. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I could have used that."

The younger Glace walked up to his brother. "Don't you think it's strange that she knows about your Zoanthropy, yet she's attacking you with magic anyway?" he asked. "She might be trying to trick you."

"Smart as well as beautiful, eh, mage?" Lady Salt stated, the smirk still on her face. "Very good of you to see through my deception. If Carrot, as you call him, had indeed absorbed my magic, he would have also absorbed my other magic."

The three hunters looked at the sorceress. "What do you mean?" Tira asked.

"It's something I've been toying with for a while. Mixing both forms of magic into one. If you were to get hit with one type of my magic, you would also be hit with the other type."

"Huh?" Carrot asked.

"She's saying," Marron said, "that if you were to get hit with the magic that you could absorb, Brother, then you would also get hit with the magic that affects the mind."

Lady Salt's smile deepened. "Exactly. If you were to be hit with my paralysis magic, you would be vulnerable to my other magic. That wouldn't be very helpful to you then, would it?" Creating another magic attack, she threw it at the sorcerer hunters.

The three jumped, dodging it. Tira pulled off her red cape, revealing her dominatrix. She pulled out her spinning thread, attempting to catch Lady Salt. Seeing the thread, the sorceress fired another magic attack, which hit the ground directly in front of the female hunter. The pressure threw Tira back through the air, causing her to drop her thread, as she hit a wall.

"Tira!" Carrot called out. He didn't notice Lady Salt creating another magic attack, throwing it at him.

"Brother!" Pulling out another ward, Marron tossed it towards his brother, as it collided with the magic attack once again, raising a lot of dust.

"By saving your brother, you've left yourself vulnerable." He gasped, turning around, but everything blacked out as a sphere connected with him.

"AAAH!"

Carrot snapped his head towards his brother's voice, just in time to see him fly towards him. He caught him, dragging his feet in the dirt to stop him and his brother.

"Marron!" Carrot called out. He got no response. "Marron!"

"Too bad," Lady Salt said. Another magic sphere appeared in her hand. "You're all alone now. What are you going to do?"

Carrot growled slightly, still holding his brother's still form. He shut his eyes as Lady Salt was about to hurl the orb towards him.

Nothing came, and he heard her cry out in pain. Opening his eyes, he saw the sorceress holding her wrist, and Tira standing a small ways away, holding her whip, a smirk on her face.

Lady Salt glared at the young woman, then turned to look at the Glace brothers. A smirk appeared suddenly. "I suppose it's my time to leave," she said. "But rest assured, I'll be back." The marking on her forehead began to glow, blinding them in a flash of red illumination. When it finally died down, the sorceress was gone.

"Carrot," Tira said, coming up to him, "are you alright?"

He nodded. "But I'm not sure about Marron."

The mage moaned suddenly, stirring slightly in Carrot's arms. "Marron?" Carrot said. "Marron? Can you hear me?"

"Uh. . . ." he moaned again, fidgeting slightly.

"Marron?" Tira said.

He didn't respond to either of them. He tensed in pain, before falling limp again in his brother's arms.

"Marron!" Carrot said, trying to wake his brother. "Marron!" Again, no response.

Grabbing her cloak and glasses, Tira said, "We should go back to Big Momma. She might know what to do." Reluctantly, Carrot nodded, his eyes never removed from his brother's form.

* * *

"No!" Marron cried out, tossing in his bed. "No! Please. . . .!"

Pulling out a piece of cloth from the container of water, Tira wiped the beads of sweat of the mage's brow.

"Will he be okay?" Carrot asked Milphey-Yu.

The Haz-knight looked at him, then looked back at the mage. "Well, we were able to remove the paralysis spell, but we couldn't remove the other spell."

"Isn't there anything you can do!"

"You should be lucky we could remove the paralysis spell at all. If we hadn't, Marron's body wouldn't be able to function properly, and he could have died."

"He could die anyway, couldn't he!" Carrot shot back. "If we don't do something, his mind could be lost!"

Milphey-Yu looked at him again. "It's up to Marron now," he replied. "He will have to fight it as well as he can."

Carrot looked at him, his onyx eyes blazing wildly, before looking down at the floor. Milphey-Yu placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, causing him to look up at the Haz-knight, a small, reassuring smile on his lips.

"Don't worry," the Haz-knight said softly. "Marron's strong. I'm sure he'll be able to fight this. So don't worry." Looking down again, Carrot nodded.

Not really satisfied, yet with nothing else he could do, Milphey-Yu turned and walked towards the open door, pausing only to look back inside, and disappeared down the hall.

Carrot sat in the chair next to Tira, in his place beside Marron.

"Mille's right, Carrot," Tira replied. "Marron is strong. He should be able to fight this."

"I know. I just can't help but feel guilty about it."

"Why?"

"I heard what Lady Salt said to him before she hit him with her magic. She said, 'By saving your brother, you've left yourself vulnerable.' Does that mean, that if Marron hadn't saved me, he would be alright now?"

"Carrot, don't say that. . . . ."

"Maybe. . . . if I was a little stronger, Marron wouldn't have had to protect me, and he could've protected himself."

"Carrot, stop it."

"Ah!" Marron cried out, tossing in his bed. "Please, no! No!"

"Marron!" Carrot said, nearly jumping out of his seat.

If he had heard, Marron didn't respond. Clutching the sheets in his hands, the mage cried out again, his breath coming out in small gasps. "No! Please. . . . don't. . . . You can't! Please!"

"He's living his greatest fear," Tira said. "Lady Salt and Pepper show a person their greatest fear, causing them to slowly slip away, until their sanity is gone for good. After that, their mind is lost, and Lady Salt and Pepper control their empty minds."

"Marron!" Carrot called again. "Marron, please, it's alright. Everything's fine. I don't know what you're dreaming about, but please. . . . there's nothing to worry about."

"Urm. . . . . . No, please. . . . .you can't! Please, leave him alone!"

Carrot and Tira both tilted their heads in confusion, looking at each other, before focusing again on the mage.

"Don't hurt him, please! . . . . . . . Brother!. . . . . ."

'Even in his dreams,' Carrot mused, 'all he cares about is my safety. That's all he's worried about. Doesn't he care about himself? Doesn't he mind when I'm acting selfish, and complaining about things, and always trying to shirk my responsibilities? I mean, I know he minds, but he always puts up with it. But why? Doesn't he want anything? Doesn't he have any dreams, hopes, or desires for himself?'

Hesitantly, Carrot placed a hand over Marron's, gently gripping it. Marron's hand released its hold on the blanket suddenly, relaxing.

* * *

During the next few weeks, Marron steadily and slowly recovered. After Chocolate and Gateau returned from dispatching Lady Pepper, they too helped the mage recuperate. Eventually, thanks to all of their help, Marron regained consciousness.

That day, Carrot stood outside in the forest by the Stella Church, thinking.

'Would be easier for the others if they didn't have to put up with me?' he wondered. 'They always have to listen to me complain, and they always have to protect me because I can't do anything by myself. I always have to rely on them to help me. They're always there to fix my mistakes.

'That's why Marron was hit in the first place. He was trying to protect me, but that left him vulnerable for an attack from Lady Salt. If I could have been stronger, or smarter, that never would've happened.'

"Brother?" he heard a weak voice call out to him. Turning around, Carrot realized Marron standing there, leaning against a tree for support.

"Marron? What are you doing out here?"

The mage pushed himself off the tree, slowly making his way towards his older brother. Even though he had fought off Lady Salt's magic, the after-effects that it had left on his physical body still continued to linger.

"I felt like getting out. Remaining in a room for two weeks after regaining consciousness is a little too much, even for me. What are you doing out here, Brother?"

His eyes lingered on his younger brother for a moment, before he looked up at the sky. "Just thinking about something," he replied.

There was a deafening silence looming over the brothers, a gently breeze teasing their hair. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Carrot said, "Marron?"

"Yes Brother?"

"I wanna ask you something, and I want you to give me an honest answer, okay?"

Marron wasn't sure what his brother was implying, nor why he needed an 'honest' answer, but agreed to his brother's terms.

"Do you. . . . Do you think I'm. . . . worthless?"

"What are you talking about? Of course not, Brother. Why would you think such a thing?"

"I just can't stop thinking about what happened a few weeks ago with Lady Salt. What she said before she attacked you."

Marron rubbed the back of his head. "I don't really remember what she said. Everything that happened before the attack is a blur to me now."

"Really? You don't remember what happened that day?"

"Well, I remember confronting Lady Salt in the town, and I remember fighting her, but that's all, really. The rest is all a haze before I passed out."

"Lady Salt was about to attack me, because she figured she could get me to transform, and then control my mind. You knew that, and tried to protect me. But when you did that, she appeared right behind you, and she said to you, 'By saving your brother, you've left yourself vulnerable.' Then she attacked you."

"And because of that, you think that you're worthless?"

"Well, if I could have done something to protect myself, maybe you wouldn't have to have stop and save me, and you'd be okay."

"But I am okay," the younger argued. "And what Lady Salt said is untrue. She simply caught me in surprise."

"I still feel guilty about it," Carrot replied quietly.

Another era of silence swept over them, interrupted only by the song of birds, and the chattering talk of animals. Suddenly, Carrot began walking away.

"Brother?"

"I need some time to myself, Marron. I need to think about things."

"But where are you going?"

"Knowing Big Momma, as soon as you fully recover, she's gonna send us out to find Lady Salt. But I can't, Marron. Not until I think things through. I need time alone to sort things out."

"But why do you need to do that alone? You can very well do that here."

Carrot shook his head. "You don't understand, Marron. At this point, I no longer know where I stand. I need to find out about myself, and I can't do that with all of you here."

"Why not?"

"I need to discover about myself, and I can't do that where there are people who try to convince me of who they think I am, or who they want me to be. I have to find myself, by myself." Turning around, his eyes met with his brother's. "Now, I'm going away from here, to find out what and who I am. I want you to promise me that you won't follow me, okay, Marron?"

But the younger just avoided his brother's request. "Please, don't do this, Brother. There must be something I can do to help you."

The elder Glace just shook his head. "There's nothing you can do. Now, please, promise me that you won't follow me, and try to bring me back here."

"Brother. . ."

"Promise me, Marron."

Marron just stared, his eyes locked with the hard onyx orbs of his brother's. Seeing no hope of change, he looked away. "I promise," he said quietly.

"You sure?"

"I. . . I give you my word."

Nodding once, Carrot turned to leave. Suddenly, he paused, yet not looking back at his brother, he called out, "Marron?"

"Yes, Brother?"

"There is one thing you can do for me."

"What is it?"

"Well, what I'm thinking about is very complicated, and I could be gone for a while. I'm not sure when, or if, I'll be back."

Marron's eyes widened.

"If I don't, I want you to take care of Tira, Chocolate, and the others. They'll need you, seeing as how you're the most responsible. At least there's one of us like that in the family." And he began to walk away again.

"Brother. . . ."

"Take care of them, Marron. That's your job now." And before Marron's eyes, his older brother disappeared amidst the shadows and the trees.

In his weakened state, overwhelmed with emotion, Marron sank to the ground, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

"Brother. . . . ."

* * *

Gateau looked up at the darkening sky, watching as the sky tickled the tree tops. Leaves began to disengage from their places on the branches as the wind picked up.

A slight movement in his arms caused him to look down as the mage shifting in slumber. His cobalt eyes couldn't help but focus on the young man's beautiful face, his cheeks stained by the now dry crystalline tears from earlier before.

It was always unsettling to see someone like Marron, cool and indifferent to many things, crying as much as he had been. It didn't happen very often, but if something could move the mage to tears, it must have been very disturbing.

But what could it have been? Was it possible that Marron wasn't as fully recovered as they all thought he was? Gateau remembered that, when Marron was still under Lady Salt's spell, the nightmares he had caused him to shed tears such as he had done only minutes before.

But he wasn't sleeping then. Marron had been fully awake. When Gateau had found him, he had been sitting on the ground, quietly sobbing to himself. When he had inquired, Marron, energy drained, had passed out.

'What had happened?' Gateau wondered.

Marron began to stir again, his eyes fluttering open. "Gateau?" he asked tiredly.

"You just rest, Marron. You've been through a lot."

Suddenly, Marron's golden eyes widened. "My brother. . . . ." Quickly he began to scramble from Gateau's hold to stand, but as his feet landed on the ground, he staggered, and the blond warrior lurched forward to steady the mage before he hit the ground.

"Marron, take it easy. . ."

"No, you don't understand! My brother. . . . he's gone!"

"What are you talking about?"

"My brother is gone! He. . . . he left. . ."

"Marron, are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

The mage shook his head vigorously. "I wasn't dreaming. He's gone! He. . . he's gone…"

"But where would he go?"

"I don't know. He said he had to think of something and sort things out."

"Carrot? Thinking? That's a first."

Marron glared up at the older man. "Please, be serious. My brother thinks that he's worthless, and that he's in the way. I'm afraid he'll do something drastic."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but he said that he might not return."

Gateau's eyes widened. "A-are you serious?"

"That's basically what he told me."

"Well, we have to go after him."

The mage shook his head. "We can't."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I promised I wouldn't follow him, and I gave him my word. I can't back out on that."

* * *

Carrot sighed, glancing around at his surroundings. 'How long has it been?' he wondered. 'I've been gone for a week or two, at least. I wonder if they miss me.'

He chuckled slightly, as a sudden thought entered his mind. 'Well, I know Chocolate misses me. She must be wondering where I am, and if I'm alright, knowing her obsession over me. Tira is probably saying how much she's gonna kill me. I'm not sure about Gateau, but Marron. . .'

He stopped walking. 'Marron. . . . I wonder how he's doing right now. I hope he's alright. Has he fully healed yet? He should have, it's been a couple of weeks. But I hope he's taking care of himself.

'I miss them. It's kinda lonely and quiet without them. Maybe Marron was right. I haven't anything about myself that I don't already know. Maybe I do need their help. Figures. But should I go back? I don't wanna worry them anymore, really, and I'm so damn bored, there's nothing to do. I could hunt down some pretty girls, but what fun would that be? Tira and Chocolate aren't here to stop me, Gateau isn't here to exchange smart-ass comments with, and Marron isn't here to tell me off.'

He chuckled again. 'I guess I miss them more than I thought if I can't chase any girls without them around. Maybe I should go back.'

Turning around, he was about go back towards the way he had come, when he was stopped by a young woman. Her blond bangs partially covered the inverted, ruby triangle on her forehead.

"Lady Salt," Carrot spat.

Her crimson eyes glared hard at him, before she smirked. "It's been quiet a while, hasn't it. . . . Carrot, was it? How's your brother doing?"

The young man growled slightly.

"I suppose the time has passed for me to control him. By now, he would've been able to recover, and the chance to manipulate his mind is gone. I could have taken control over him at any time, you know."

Carrot stiffened. "You. . . . You could have?"

"Yes. However, other important matters came up, and I had to take care of that myself."

"I see. What important matters would those be?"

"Don't you know?" she asked, her voice dripping with sudden malice, her garnet orbs darkening. "After all, you're friends were the ones who took care of her, did they not?"

"You mean your sister, Pepper?"

"That's LADY Pepper to you, and yes. She was in trouble, and I rushed to aid her. But by the time I got there, you're friends were already gone, and had already disposed of her."

The young sorceress clenched her hand into a tight fist. "My sister was the only family I had left, and you damn sorcerer hunters took her away from me."

"Yeah, well ya two shoulda thought of that before you went destroying people's lives."

She smiled suddenly, gently brushing her gold bangs from her eyes. "But I finally thought of a way to avenge her death, when I saw you walking here by yourself. I thought maybe you should see what life would be like without your brother."

The young hunter gasped. "N. . . .No! I. . . I won't let you harm Marron."

She laughed derisively. "Who said I was going to do it? It would be so satisfying to see your reaction to your brother's death, but what is more so is if YOU were the one to kill him."

"You're outta your mind!"

"Oh, I'm not," she replied, creating an attack magic, "but you will be."

* * *

Gateau looked back at the church for a moment, looking at the dark shadow against the black sky, before looking back at his path.

During these past two weeks, with his brother gone, it had become harder for Marron to really recover. He hardly ate anything, and he could barely sleep. Because he was still trying to recover before Carrot left, Marron's health slowly depreciated.

And though he would never admit it to anyone, Gateau kinda missed having Carrot around. It was too damn quiet around the church without him, and everyone missed him. 'So now I'm going to find him,' he thought. 'Ah, well. If it makes everyone happy. The moron is more important than he thinks. Without him around, nobody seems to want to do anything.

'Carrot had made Marron promise not to go after him, and Marron agreed. But neither Marron nor I said anything about me.'

As the blond warrior continued on, however, he came across a lone silhouette, long hair billowing against the wind.

He came closer, knowing exactly who it was. "Marron, what are you doing out here?"

The mage glanced at him over his shoulder. "I couldn't sleep," he replied.

"That's not healthy, Marron. You have to try and sleep."

"I can't, knowing that my brother is out there, feeling as though he's useless. I wish there was something I could do to help him, but he wouldn't let me."

"Marron, it's not your fault."

"I know, I just wish that. . ." He stopped in mid-sentence, averting his attention somewhere else.

"Marron?"

"A sorcerer," he murmured.

"What?"

"There's a sorcerer nearby," he repeated. "Or possibly a sorceress. I'm not sure. All I know is that I feel a strong magical presence very close by." Turning to the older man, he said, "Gateau, go back to the church and get Tira and Chocolate. We may need them."

"And leave you alone in your condition? I don't think so."

"Gateau, please. You have to go, because among the two of us, you're the one who can get there faster. The sooner you go, the sooner you and the girls will be back here."

"But. . ."

He spun around, gold amber eyes locking with sapphire. Then he flashed a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. Now, go."

Seeing no other choice, Gateau nodded, quickly ran back to the church.

Slowly, Marron made his way towards where he felt the potent magical aura. Pulling an ofuda ward from his pocket, he listened for any sounds that would give their position away.

There was a rustle from the bushes in front of him, and he clutched the charm, preparing to cast its spell. He stopped, however, when he saw who came forth.

"Brother!" he cried.

Carrot didn't respond. He simply stared out, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Brother?"

Suddenly, drawing his sword, Carrot lashed out at the mage, who jumped just in time to avoid the attack.

"Brother!" Marron called. "What's wrong with you!"

"Nothing's wrong with him," a voice said suddenly. "In fact, he's never been better." From behind Carrot, Lady Salt appeared.

Marron's eyes narrowed. "You. . ."

"Greetings. How are you feeling?"

His charm began to shine a soft azure light, as he began to perform the spell. He stopped when Carrot protectively stood in front of the sorceress, his sword poised to attack.

Surprised, he lowered the charm, glaring at the woman. "What have you done?" he demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, placing her hand on Carrot's shoulder, smiling proudly.

Marron growled slightly, crushing the charm he held in his hand.

"Too bad. If you try to attack me, Carrot will jump in to save me. You don't want to hurt your brother, do you?"

Marron jumped out of the way again as Carrot ran towards him, trying to strike his sword at the mage. 'What can I do?' Marron wondered. 'I can't hurt my brother.'

As he landed, Carrot tripped him, causing him to fall on the ground. Sword raised, the elder Glace prepared to attack the mage. Quickly, he rolled over, just barely missing the blade, as a few strands of his hair fell limply to the ground.

Pushing himself to his feet, Marron ducked as Carrot lashed out at him again, chopping a tree in half. Jumping up, he landed on the stump, and jumped again as Carrot's sword sliced the tree base down the middle.

Quickly removing his sword from the tree, the young man slashed the blade upwards.

The mage cried out as the razor blade severed his ankle. As he landed, he fell to his knees, the pain beginning to spread through his already exhausted body.

Looking up, he watched as the figure of his brother began to blur together with the dark background. 'I suppose this is what I guess for not eating and sleeping properly,' he thought, closing his eyes.

He heard the crack of a whip, and looking up, he opened eyes to see his brother being held back by the Misu sisters' spinning thread and garrote wire.

He heard a light thump, as Gateau landed next to him. "You'll be okay, huh?" he asked jokingly.

The mage just smiled.

Lady Salt clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Oh dear," she said with fake concern. "What am I to do now?" She smirked suddenly, creating a magic sphere, hurling towards Carrot.

Carrot's eyes began narrow, as horns appeared on his head. He began to grow in size, breaking away from Tira's thread and Chocolate's wire.

The other sorcerer hunters growled, as Carrot's zoanthropy continued to occur.

"Oho ho ho ho ho!" Lady Salt cackled. "What are you all going to do now?"

Tira and Chocolate smirked. "It's not like this is the first time we had to deal with Carrot's zoanthropy," Tira replied.

"Oh, but I assure you, it will be much harder to revert him to normal this time."

"We'll see about that," Chocolate countered, hurling the sharp tip of her wire at Carrot.

Grabbing the tree that had been knocked over, the beast held it up in front of him, as the tip of the cable connected with the wood, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

The hunters shielded themselves from the shower of splinters descending on them. Taking this chance, Carrot grabbed Chocolate, throwing her hard into the ground.

"Sister!" Tira yelled. Angered, the younger Misu sister pulled out her whip. Sensing this, as she attempted to flog him, Carrot grabbed it, hurling the young girl into a tree.

"How can Carrot be doing this?" Gateau asked the mage. "I thought he lost all reason when he undergoes zoanthropy."

"He does," Marron replied. "There is no way Brother can be doing this. Unless. . . ." He looked up at Lady Salt, as the dim light on her marking slowly faded. "You're telling him what to do, aren't you?" he asked. "You're telling him what he should do, and when."

"Very good. I'm glad you were able to figure it out."

Snarling, Gateau jumped up, rushing towards the sorceress.

"Gateau," Marron called, "don't!"

Suddenly, the beast grabbed the large man before he could reach the woman, pulling him away from her, and pushing him into the ground. Gateau cried out as Carrot applied more pressure atop him, and the ground began to cave underneath him. Another ear-piercing scream was let loose from his throat.

Pulling out another ofuda, Marron suddenly froze. 'What am I going to do?' he thought. 'I still can't hurt my brother. . . .But the others. . . . .'

Suddenly, Carrot released the blond man, focusing on the mage. He growled loudly, calling Marron's attention towards him. The beast slashed his claws at him, tearing through his tunic and skin.

Marron screamed, blood running down his body, staining his clothes and body red. Carrot grabbed him, picking his form off the ground, holding him high in the air.

Marron felt his brother's claws digging into his back, as the mage felt his body being crushed in the tightening hold. He couldn't breath, the feeling of suffocation overwhelming him. He could feel the hot breath of his brother crowd him as he roared loudly. Darkness began to cloud over him.

Sniffing the mage in his paws, the beast growled loudly, saliva dripping from his fangs as he opened his mouth. Marron knew what was happening.

Marron felt hot tears form in his eyes. 'Is this it?' he wondered. 'Is this how it ends? I never thought that my own brother would. . . . No, this isn't my brother. My brother would never do this. Not on purpose. Lady Salt is controlling him. It's not his fault.'

He screamed again as his brother's grip tautened. 'I wish I could have helped you. I'm sorry. . . . my brother.' A single tear slipped down his pale cheek, stained with blood, fell, being absorbed in the fur of the creature.

The Carrot monster stopped, his roars reduced to soft purrs. He sniffed the mage again, growling softly.

Lady Salt watched on, amazement and wonder etched on her face.

Suddenly, Carrot threw his head back, howling thunderously, the trees quaking and quivering. He released the mage, lashing out at the foliage.

Gateau pushed himself up, shaking his head slightly. Looking up, he saw small form falling to the ground, as Carrot continued to thrash around. Jumping up, he caught Marron's unconscious form in his arms. As he landed, he looked up, barely avoiding being crushed by the beast's giant foot.

The monster suddenly focused on the sorceress. Eyes narrowing, he roared, attempting to strike her with his claws.

She jumped out of the way, landing on a fallen tree nearby. "How can this be?" she wondered. "How can he resist my commands?"

"You never stopped to think," Tira replied, appearing behind Lady Salt, "what would happen if you pushed Carrot too far."

"That's right," Chocolate said. "Darling and Marron are very close, and would do anything for each other. By pushing Darling too far, seeing his brother hurt that badly, he was able to resist your spell."

"Seems you wanted Carrot to kill Marron, right?" Gateau asked. "Looks like that plan backfired. With so much on the line, Carrot couldn't help but defy you."

The Carrot beast bellowed again, as Lady Salt turned to run. She stopped and cried out as the sharp tip of the garrote wire pierced through her back. She stumbled, finally hitting the ground.

They other hunters jumped out of the way as Carrot made his way towards them. Looking down at the sorceress, he growled, his fangs dripping with saliva, as he crushed her head under his foot. Grabbing her body, the beast picked it up, devouring the headless corpse in one bite, his mouth lined with fresh blood.

With a glance at each other, both Misu sisters nodded. Jumping up, they attacked the beast, in an attempt revert him back to normal.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Carrot winced at the sudden light. Closing his eyes again, he rolled over on his side.

"Hey," he heard Gateau say, "he's awake."

'Barely,' he thought.

"Darling?"

"Carrot?"

The young teen sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to get to sleep anymore. Slowly, he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm awake," he grumbled.

"Carrot," Tira asked, "do you remember anything that happened?"

Yawning, he replied, "I remember Lady Salt, and. . . ." He paused, his eyes widening suddenly. "Marron. . . . Where's Marron? Is he alright?"

Gateau nodded towards the bed behind him. "He's sleeping," he replied.

Tossing the blanket aside, Carrot got up, looking down at Marron. His younger brother seemed to be sleeping peacefully, even with the heavy bandages wrapped around his torso.

He was aware of the door closing, and that the others had left, but ignored it. Kneeling down next to the bed, Carrot slipped his hand in his brother's, gently squeezing it.

He was surprised when Marron grasped back. Looking up, Carrot watched as Marron's eyes slowly opened. Upon seeing his older brother, the mage smiled.

"M-Marron? I'm. . . .I'm sorry about everything."

He tilted his head in a quizzical manner. "What do you mean, Brother?"

"I'm sorry about this whole thing. If I hadn't have left, Lady Salt wouldn't have gotten to me. She took over my mind, and I almost killed you."

Marron shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, Brother. She was controlling you. You couldn't help that."

"Yes, I could have. If I had never left at all, she wouldn't have gotten to me so easily. You were right, Marron, I should have stayed here. But you're always right, and I'm not."

"Brother, the reason I asked you to stay was not because of that. I asked you to stay because whatever you were having problems with, we could have helped you."

"I know. And I should have listened. I wish I could just do it over again. I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're not, Brother. You're much smarter than anyone, even you, give credit for. You're always there when we need you, and you're always willing to help out when things get tough."

Carrot looked up, then away. "That doesn't make up for what I did."

"Brother, you didn't do anything wrong. You were just doing what you thought was right. No one could do wrong there."

Looking up again, Carrot smiled. "When did you get to be so emotional, Marron?"

The mage shrugged, a small, playful smile etched on his lips. "I've learned here and there," he replied.

"Yeah, well don't get too mushy. That's just weird."

They both laughed. "It's nice to have you back, Brother."

"Yeah, well, it's nice to be back. But you. . . . you need to rest some more. You're tired, don't think I don't notice that."

Marron smiled. "Right."

Getting up, Carrot placed a gentle kiss on his brother's forehead. "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Nodding, Marron closed his eyes, quickly dozing off to sleep. Sitting on the bed, Carrot, too, fell asleep, both sleeping peacefully for the first time in a long while.

**The End**


End file.
